Water Commissioner: Mercury found during work, but water’s safe

The Oakland County Water Resource Commissioner’s office reported that mercury was found earlier this year in a pipe previously taken out of service in Farmington Hills, but that the water had been tested and was safe to use.

The project, according to Water Commissioner’s representatives, was underway in February when the mercury was found in the defunct pipeline at 14 Mile and Halsted roads.

The office’s representatives said that the public wasn’t notified earlier because “Public notification was not required as analysis of the drinking water confirmed that the water met drinking water standards.”

After employees found the element — which was in a pipe not being used for Farmington Hills’ water supply — they tested the local water system to ensure that the drinking water was not affected.

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Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash, who lives in Farmington Hills, said the tests came back showing that the supply was safe.

“We tested out of an abundance of caution so residents can be assured that their drinking water is safe,” Nash stated.

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department was also in the area, working to replace a water billing meter. Both entities contacted the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency, who have been involved since the beginning of March, when the mercury found reached reportable amounts.

According to the county, 20 different locations in Farmington Hills were sampled for mercury in the drinking water system, and while four locations turned up levels “well below the maximum contaminant level for mercury,” after a second test, no locations turned up any trace of the substance, according to a question-and-answer sheet sent to customers.

The elemental mercury was most likely from pressure monitoring equipment used in the past by the DWSD, Water Resources Commissioner’s Office representatives said.

Anyone with questions is asked to call the Water Resources Commissioner’s Office at 248-858-0958.